Winter

Winter.

We have had winter.

All of it.

Snow. Sleet. Freezing rain. Fog. Freezing fog. Polar vortex. Did I mention snow? And so much wind.

All in four weeks – and counting.

We began this journey in late autumn, the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Sunday, November 25 into Monday, November 26 saw a blizzard hit west central Illinois. We saw 12 inches of snow in our town, others experienced up to 14 inches. And then . . . nothing. Not a peep from Mother Nature. Oh, sure we had weather, but nothing out of the ordinary. It was a mild end to fall, a surprisingly mild beginning to winter.

The Solstice arrived and the weather was beautiful. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day came and went with clear skies and warm (comparatively speaking) temperatures. A “green Christmas” to the disappointment of some, without even a dusting of white for the holiday.

And then, winter remembered what winter does. January 12-13 saw the first snowstorm of the new year and Mother Nature has been a show-off every week since. Local schools have had more time out of the classroom than in, so much so, some districts are talking of shortening Spring breaks, or adding time to the school day to get in the missed instructional time. And what is forecast for the coming week? You guessed it – snow, freezing rain, sleet.

Keep warm, my friends, and keep stitching. Somewhere close, someone needs a hat, a scarf, some mittens or an afghan.